Page 37 - HW August 2020

then as now
Then as now? August 2000 & 2010
INTERESTING FACTOIDS: Over the last 20 years, the value of Hardware, Building & Garden Retailing (according to Stats NZ) has grown by 147%, from $3.6 billion in 2000, to $4.8 billion in 2010 and $8.9 billion today.
Over the same period, the total value of building work put in place has grown by 245%, from $7.3 billion in YTD March 2000, to $10.5 billion in 2010 and $25.2 billion up to YTD March 2020.
20 years ago, with the NZ home improvement market on the cusp of seeing the rst big boxes, PlaceMakers was rmly #1 by revenue, well ahead of the #2 player, Mitre 10 (MEGA was still three or four years away), with Carters at #3, followed by ITM.
e NZ market wouldn’t see Bunnings – in the form of new acquisition Benchmark / Hardwarehouse – for another year and Hardwarehouse wouldn’t be rebranded as Bunnings until 2002.
AUGUST 2000 – KIWIS AT HOME & ABROAD
20 years ago this month, already celebrating 15 years of being in business, Dyers Road ITM (1) was our Ajax Store of the Month. Fast forward two decades and the address hasn’t changed (in
fact it hasn’t changed since 1994), nor has the Caldwell family who still owns and runs this storied outlet.
Indeed, some10 years later, Dyers Road ITM could boast the biggest turnover of all ITM members.
building Ace’s overseas business in 50 countries, including New Zealand...
As well as some Kiwi hardware retailers, e Warehouse was one such customer back in the day and Murray had nothing but good things to say about this go-ahead retailer.
Murray Armstrong retired in 2009 and, sad to report, by the end of 2010 we would be marking his passing.
Back then, long-time NZ Hardware Journal contributor,
Peter Cox, recalled several pleasurable and highly competitive conversations with the proud Kiwi at Ace Hardware conventions over the years, usually over a few beers, and usually about rugby!
Pertinent too to recall that long-time Mitre 10er, Duncan McGhie, also swapped Godzone for Illinois when he joined Ace Hardware last year to become Vice President of International Merchandising & Imports.
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AUGUST 2010 – CREAM OF THE CROP
It’s been 10 years since we reported that Brent “Riggsy” Riggs had “gone the whole hog” and set up his own company.
Having begun his building supplies career as a sales rep around Y2K, Brent had just taken the next step – to head up his own company.
Back then, Wiri-based Black Belt Fasteners was New Zealand’s only collated screw manufacturer.
10 years ago, we’d also just announced the Semi-Finalists in the 2010 Hardware Awards (3), the programme returning once more after a year’s hiatus.
Names of note included Retailer of the Year hopefuls, Grant Close, Stephen Nelson, Blair Page, Mike van der Hoek and Myles Whitcher, while the Young Retailers of the Year Semi- Finalists included Hunter Johnston, Chris Spilsbury, Nick Stanbury and 2019 Retailer of the Year, Des Smith.
Sorry, but you’ll have to wait until the September 2020 magazine to nd out who won...
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In our August 2000 magazine we’d been talking to another storied Kiwi, this time an export, prefacing the story with the opinion that there would be “few NZers as important on the international hardware scene”.
“Important” wouldn’t have been a word that Rotorua- born Murray Armstrong
(2), Ace Hardware’s Director of International Marketing, would associate with himself, but for some 20 years, Murray Armstrong led an international marketing and merchandising team, concentrating on
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AUGUST 2020 | NZHJ 35